What Those Ambigious Measurements in Recipes Actually Mean

What exactly is "a dollop"?

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If you’ve ever come across a recipe calling for a “pinch” or “drizzle” of anything, you would probably do what any well-meaning chef and/or baker would and guesstimate to what seems about right. While the quality of your dish by no means depends on your ability to get the precisely the exact measures of a certain ingredient, there actually seems to be some kind of science behind these unconventional cooking measures.

Smidgen, Dash, Pinch

Photo by Jane Xie

Try adding a smidgen of your ingredient of choice to your dish. A smidgen of anything comes out to be around 1/32. This is perfect if you have a low spice tolerance but want to get that kick from adding some cayenne pepper in this revamped ramen recipe.

In the past, some have defined a dash to be around “8 good shakes” of salt or pepper or any chosen spice. While a pinch may be somewhere around 1/8 of a teaspoon, a dash comes out to be about 1/16 of a teaspoon. Don’t be afraid to add a dash of these spices to add intense flavors into your dishes while also improving your health.

As demonstrated by the fabulous Ayesha Curry (head chef of the Curry household and YouTube extraordinaire), a pinch of anything (salt, sugar, oregano etc.) is actually the amount we pick up with our thumb and index finger.

Scant

Now that you understand what scant means, apply your new knowledge by making a killer Grapefruit Dutch Baby to round off any perfect brunch.

Dollop

Photo by Jane Xie

When most of us hear “dollop,” we might only be able to think of the “do a dollop of Daisy” tagline from the commercials. While a dollop is not exclusively reserved for Daisy sour cream, it is generally used to refer to soft foods. The official quantity that constitutes a dollop is actually pretty contested, some claim it to be a tablespoon of anything, plopped into your dish. This certainly gives us the liberty to add as much sour cream as our hearts desire in this recipe for loaded mashed sweet potatoes.

Drizzle

Photo by Jane Xie

The Food Network actually defines drizzle as a verb: “To slowly pour a liquid mixture in a very fine stream over a food (such as a sweet glaze over cake or bread, or melted butter over food before baking).”